Various types of impact sport games have been proposed over the years with some directed toward boxing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,259 to Glass et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,610 to Paoletti each toy boxing games, where players control small toy boxing robots. Although the fighting toy boxer games may be fun, they do little to teach and enhance boxing skills and offer no remedial exercise value. Similarly, the more popular video game systems offer video images of boxers.
Video game versions of boxers have also been done over the years. See for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0014542 to Ueshima. Similar to toy boxers, the video games may be fun, they do little to teach and enhance boxing skills and offer no remedial exercise value.
Attempts at having wearable clothing with sensors have been attempted over the years. See For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,107 to French. However, the French reference is generally limited to fencing and martial arts type games of those involving baseball, softball, tennis, hockey, golf. However, there is no teaching or description for use with boxing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,674 to Cook shows and describes a “method and apparatus for boxing”, title. However, the headgear requires an elaborate full front face protecting members that covers and blocks out the nose, mouth, and chin with either rigid plastic or metal guards with narrow slot region for the eyes. Such elaborate headgear would be undesirable to be worn by users. Sensors are imbedded in clothing and are not used as contact targets. In addition, Cook requires a display on the forehead of the participant, which would be distracting to the opposing player. Cook uses sensors in the gloves which makes those sensors more prone to damage since they are constantly being hit. Additionally, Cook uses transmitters to send signals out that are in close proximity to the sensors which appears to be in the clothing on the front side of the wearer, which allows for the transmitters to be more easily damaged by the blows of the opposing player.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems.